EP0358001B1 - Nursing device - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a nursing set comprising a container, a teat and means for fixing the teat to the container.

The patent US-A-4116352 relates to a system making it possible to seal a container for packaging, in particular fruit juice, comprising a sealing ring covering the upper rim of said container. This system is not at all intended for breastfeeding.

Many breastfeeding systems for newborns and infants are already known. The most common systems include glass or injected plastic containers with a thread for covering the teat with the clamping ring on the upper rim of said container. As for example that which is the subject of US-A-4678092. These breastfeeding systems are very expensive, especially if they are intended for single uses, such as in hospitals.

The object of the present invention is to provide an inexpensive nursing set, in which the container does not have a thread.

The invention relates to a nursing set comprising a container, a teat and means for fixing the teat to the container, in which the container is thermoformed, comprises a reinforced side wall with a cover sheet and a flat upper edge. extending towards the outside of said container and comprising at least three projecting sectors and the fixing means consist of a clamping ring comprising an upper rim directed inwards and receiving the teat and by a circular lateral skirt having at the inside at least three clamping tabs, said tabs cooperating when the assembly is closed with the aforementioned projecting sectors.

The cover sheet is made of a material chosen from aluminum, paper, a paper / aluminum composite and a plastic material, such as polystyrene. The reinforcement of the side wall is obtained by thermal welding of the sheet at the time of thermoforming of the container.

The container is thermoformed with the device, the subject of patent FR-A-2034915. The presence of the cover sheet on the side wall of the container makes it possible to stiffen the assembly. This sheet is useful to guarantee a good grip of the container and to avoid any breakage during use.

To ensure maximum sealing of the nursing set, there is a container comprising between 3 to 6 projecting sectors cooperating with 3 to 6 corresponding clamping tabs of the clamping ring.

The nursing set according to the invention can be for multiple use. Preferably, it is for single use, the container comprising a delamination cap and containing the liquid to be administered.

The container filling mode can be done in two different ways: either sterilize the thermoformed container, pass it over an aseptic filling line and seal, or fill the container, seal it and sterilize the together. During use, simply remove the cap and cover the container with the clamping ring and the nipple.

It is also possible to deliver the nursing set according to the invention sterile and empty and to fill it by hand just before use.

The clamping ring is manufactured separately and can be reused several times. The assembly according to the invention is especially intended for use in hospitals and the liquid used is hypoallergenic milk. However, any other type of liquid for infants, newborns or premature babies can be considered.

To facilitate delamination of the cover during use, there is provided one of the projecting sectors of the upper rim of the container which projects beyond the clamping ring. This facilitates the taking of said seal.

The material used for the body of the container is chosen from polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, polycarbonate and polyvinyl chloride, in the case where the container with its contents is thermized, for example by post-sterilization. The container is either single-layer or multi-layer in which case the combination of polypropylene / EVOH / polypropylene can be envisaged. Instead of the EVOH layer (copolymer of ethylene and of vinyl alcohol), it is possible to envisage any other layer forming an oxygen barrier, for example polyvinylidene chloride. If the container is aseptically filled, the range of plastics can be extended to polystyrenes or their copolymers.

The material forming the body of the container being ordinarily transparent, the covering sheet which is usually opaque can advantageously leave on the side wall a slot, for example vertical, serving as a look for the level of liquid in the container.

The delamination cover is normally an aluminum foil sealed on the upper rim of the container by welding. Lids in a multi-layer structure are also possible, for example sheets of plastic materials combined with aluminum sheets, such as aluminum / polyester / polyethylene.

For safety reasons during opening, for example to avoid splashing when removing the lid itself, there is provided under said lid a plastic sheet which remains sealed on the upper edge of the container and which has a central opening, so that a circular edge towards the inside of the container is approximately 5 mm wide. The liquid product contained in the container cannot therefore overflow in the event of too violent opening. This plastic sheet is preferably polyester.

In this preferred embodiment of the nursing set, the sheet must of course remain on the container during delamination of the cover. However, delamination of the cover must be able to be initiated despite the fact that, during its installation, it is heat sealed to the container. To do this, the sealing tab of the cover is subjected after the sealing of the cover and before cutting the container to a partial delamination operation at the level of the opening of the cover grip, for example by creating at this level a relative stretching of the membrane and of the sheet ensuring the welding of the aluminum complex to said membrane. This operation can be carried out by any means causing such stretching. It can be a punch, for example with a knurled surface acting on the upper face of the gripping tab and causing embossing. As a variant, the tongue can be pinched between them rollers with substantially horizontal axes, the upper roller being soft. In another variant, partial delamination can be caused by creating any imprint of any contour, for example trapezoidal. Finally, provision can be made to stamp the center of the upper part of the grip tab and to inject compressed air at the cutout.

In the case of the formation of an imprint, the punch for example may preferably have a draft and thus ensure a more pronounced imprint towards the outside of the tongue than towards the inside. Similarly, the upper roller can have an axis slightly inclined relative to the axis of the lower roller and thus achieve a more pronounced pinching towards the outside of the tongue.

Fig 1

est une vue de dessus du récipient de l'ensemble d'allaitement,

Fig 2

est une vue de dessous de la bague de serrage,

Fig 3

est une coupe selon la ligne 3-3 de la Fig 2,

Fig 4

est une vue à l'intérieur de la bague de serrage selon la flèche A,

Fig 5

est une coupe selon la ligne 5-5 des Fig 1 et 2, la bague de serrage et la tétine étant en position sur le récipient.

Fig 6

est une vue en perspective du récipient comportant une feuille en matière plastique.

Fig 7

est une vue en perspective du récipient montrant l'amorçage du délaminage de l'opercule.

The following description is made with reference to the drawings in which:

Fig 1

is a top view of the container of the nursing set,

Fig 2

is a bottom view of the clamping ring,

Fig 3

is a section along line 3-3 in Fig 2,

Fig 4

is a view inside the clamping ring according to arrow A,

Fig 5

is a section along line 5-5 of Fig 1 and 2, the clamping ring and the teat being in position on the container.

Fig 6

is a perspective view of the container comprising a plastic sheet.

Fig 7

is a perspective view of the container showing the initiation of delamination of the lid.

The container (1) has on its upper rim (4) four projecting sectors (2) and a fifth sector (3) of larger size further provided for delamination of the cover (not shown).

Fig 2 shows the clamping ring (6) comprising an upper edge (7) and a side skirt (8). Inside the skirt are arranged five clamping tabs (9). The nipple is engaged along the edge (10) in the housing (11). The recess (12) allows the lug (2) of the upper rim of the container to be blocked.

Fig 4 highlights the conformation of the clamping tab (9).

FIG. 5 shows a ready-to-use nursing set, that is to say from which the cover has been removed. The nipple (13) is engaged on the clamping ring (6). This ring + teat combination is applied to the upper rim (4) of the container (1) having an aluminum reinforcement sheet (14) and the ring is turned so that the clamping tabs (9) block the projecting sectors ( 2) and (3) in the recess (12). There is thus a perfect sealing nipple holding system without any thread on the container. The reinforcing sheet (14) delimits a slot (15) serving as a sight for the level of the liquid in the container.

In the housing (11) of the clamping ring (6) opposite the nipple (13), an annular boss is advantageously provided, engaging in a corresponding annular groove in the nipple. This configuration allows a better fixation of the teat and a good sealing of the system. Figs 6 and 7 show the container (16) of the nursing set in a second embodiment. The upper rim (17) comprises under the delamination cover (18) a plastic sheet (19) having a central opening (20). In use, the cover (18) is removed by the embossed boot tab (21) in its outer part (22) and the clamping ring provided with the teat is capped on the upper rim (17). The presence of the sheet (19) thus avoids any risk of splashing if the handling is too abrupt.

The thermoforming of the container makes it possible to arrive at a reduced cost system. The container containing the liquid is for one use only, while the clamping ring and the teat can be reused.

Claims (10)

1. A feeding kit comprising a container (1), a teat (13) and means for fixing the teat to the container, characterized in that the container is thermoformed
      comprises a lateral wall reinforced by a cover foil (14), a flat upper rim (4) extending to the outside of the container and comprising at least three projecting sectors (2), and the fixing means are formed by a locking ring (6) comprising an upper lip (7) directed inwards and receiving the teat (13) and by a circular lateral skirt (8) internally comprising at least three holding lugs (9), the lugs (9) cooperating with the above-mentioned projecting sectors (2) when the kit is closed.
2. A feeding kit as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the cover foil (14) is made of a material selected from aluminium, paper, a paper/aluminium composite and polystyrene.
3. A feeding kit as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the container (1) comprises between three and six projecting sectors (2) cooperating with between three and six holding lugs (9) of the locking ring (6).
4. A feeding kit as claimed in any of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the container (1) is made of a material selected from polypropylene, polyethylene, polyester, polyamide, polycarbonate, polystyrene, polyvinylidene chloride, EVOH, polyvinyl chloride.
5. A feeding kit as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that the container (1) is single-layer or multi-layer.
6. A feeding kit as claimed in any of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the container (1) comprises a peelable lid (18) and holds the liquid to be administered.
7. A feeding kit as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the liquid is introduced into the container by aseptic filling and the container is sealed with the lid.
8. A feeding kit as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that the liquid is introduced into the container which is sealed with the lid and the whole is sterilized.
9. A feeding kit as claimed in any of claims 1 and 6 to 8, characterized in that one of the projecting sectors (3) on the upper rim (4) of the container projects beyond the locking ring (6), this projecting sector enabling the lid to be peeled off (21) by starting removal by means of a peeling tab of which the outer part of the upper surface is partly separated.
10. A feeding kit as claimed in any of claims 6 to 9, characterized in that, beneath the actual lid, the peelable lid (18) comprises a film (19) of a plastics material with a central opening (20).

Images